Bag



July 28, 1964.

L. FREMONT B AG Filed Jan. 21, 1963 %M g l (N VEN TOR.

United States Patent Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,951 7 Claims. (Cl. Ell-1.7)

The present invention relates to a flexible foldable enclosing means such as a container or bag adapted to be multiply folded and secured in a self contained compact package.

Shoppers or others often find it necessary to carry their own bags or containers and in particular their own shopping bags. Heretofore these containers could not be secured or folded in a neat and compact package. As a consequence, for example when a shopping bag was placed in the shoppers pocket or purse it would clutter the purse and on occasion become damaged by other articles in the pocket or purse.

Further, bags which have been manufactured heretofore have often been vend'ed either in an unpackaged form from racks or in individual wrappers. Such merchandising techniques are inadequate either because they do not display the merchandise to its best advantage or else because the packaging used increases the expense of the bag to a substantial degree.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a flexible foldable enclosing means such as a bag or container adapted to be folded quickly and efficiently into a self contained package which is compact and easily storable. A further object of the present invention is to provide a flexible foldable bag or container which is adapted to carry laundry, books, knitting or other articles, and is compact when folded, inexpensive to manufacture and attractive in appearance. A further object of the present invention is to provide a self contained flexible foldable packaging means which is adapted to be used as a container, bag or the like and is readily foldable and packaged in a compact unit which may fit into a pocketbook, cosmetic bag, pocket or even the palm of ones hand.

This invention comprises a container such as a bag formed with flexible walls secured at their edges and bottom and with an open mouth. The walls are formed with a plurality of preformed creases or fold lines which divide the walls into a plurality of parallel panels, preferably of different widths, with the narrower widths centrally located. The walls are adapted to be folded along the creases and transversely thereto to arrange the container in a compact package. A band secured near one end and across an end panel is adapted to engage and secure the other ends of the folded-over panels.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shopping bag showing a preferred embodiment of this invention in open form.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shopping bag embodying the present invention in preferred form but in a fully folded form.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the bag showing the bag folded along the preformed creases only, with straps removed.

While the present invention will be described in its preferred form of a shopping bag it should be understood that the principals disclosed may be used in connection with other types of articles or constructions, as for example a shower hat or the like.

Referring to the preferred form of the embodiment,

'ice

there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a shopping bag which is formed with front and rear walls 10 and 11 respectively which for example may have an original size of 16" x 19". These walls are formed of any suitable flexible material such for example as cloth or plastic such as nylon, dacron or orlon. The walls may be plain or textured and may if desired have varying color designs. The walls 10 and 11 are secured together along aligned side edges 12 and 13 and bottom 14 by suitable means such as stitching. If desired the walls 10 and 11 may be made of a single piece of material folded over on itself as for example along edge 12 and stitched at the opposite edges 12 and 13. If the walls are made of heat sealable material the edges may be secured'together by heat sealing. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 the walls 10 and 11 are formed of a single piece of material folded at the bottom 14 and stitched at the sides 12 and 13.

The upper edges of the bag form an open mouth 15. If desired the upper edges may be suitably hemmed as illustrated by the hem 16.

The facing front and rear walls ar e formed with a plurality of parallel creases which are preferably permanently preformed in the walls. These parallel creases extend from the top of the walls to the bottom as indicated at 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 in wall 10 with corresponding and aligned creases in wall 11 as indicated at 17a to 21a respectively. These creases define six panels indicated at 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 in each wall. Preferably panels 27 and 30 are wider than panels 28 and 29 and narrower than panels 26 and 31 so that the panels may be readily folded as illustrated in FIG. 4 as more fully described later. While the preferred embodiment of this invention shows five creases and six panels in each wall other numbers of panels are contemplated.

Creases 17, 17a, 18, 18a, 19 and 19a are preferably formed in a direction opposite to creases 29, 20a, 21 and 21a. By effecting the creases in this fashion the container may be folded first across creases 19 and 19a to halve the container. Then aligned panels 28 and 29 which are preferably narrower than panels 27 and 30 may be folded over panel 27, and panels 26 and 31 which are preferably wider than panels 27 and 30 may thereafter be folded over panels 27, 28 and 29 as illustrated in FIG. 4. It will be noted that the panels are preferably varied in size in order to properly effect the fold. The open end of the container may be provided with a pair of handles 40 and 41 formed of any suitable material and secured to the upper edges of the container by any suitable means.

The handles 40 and 41 may be formed of the same flexible material as are the walls 16 and 11 and may be secured to the upper edges of the hemmed walls by suitable stitching means 42. A band indicated at 44 is secured preferably to the endmost panel 26 with the ends 45 and 46 of the band stitched or otherwise suitably secured at the sides of the panels. As illustrated end 45 is stitched to or over the crease 17 while end 46 is stitched to the sides of the walls 10 and 11. The intermediate or center portion of the band is spaced from the panel 26. The band 4-4 may beformed of any suitable material such as a flexible plastic. It may be formed as a straight elongated strip or in any other form such as the bow style form illustrated in FIG. 1. The surface of the band may be textured for appearance and contrast to the main portion of the bag.

In the folded position best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 the bag is first folded in half by folding it along crease 19 so that panels 28 and 29, 27 and 30 and 26 and 31 are facing one another. Facing panels 28 and 29 are then folded over the narrower facing panels 27 and 30 and the facing panels 26 and 31 are then folded over the panels 28 and 29 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The panels are thereby folded one on top of the other and are parallely aligned with panel 26 to which attached band 44 is exposed as illustrated best in FIG. 4. The length of the panels may then be quarter folded or half folded after the handles have been tucked in out of place. For example, the panels are first half folded along their length. Then the lower ends of the panels including panel 26 to which band 44 is secured are folded upwardly for a length approximately one-third or less of the half folded panel length as illustrated at 50 in FIG. 2. The upper ends 51 of the panels are then folded over panel 26 and under band 44 to generally form the package into a compact rectangular arrangement which may on folding be reduced from an original size of 16" x 19" to a folded size of 3 x 3 /4.

While the invention has been described in connection with the embodiment of a shopping bag other variations are contemplated. For example the principals herein dis closed may be used in connection with shower hats or rain hats in which two parallel walls are generally secured together along at least two sides and in which the container or hat has permanently parallely creased lines in the walls defining a plurality of parallel panels adapted to be folded one upon the other.

What is claimed is:

1. A shopping bag adapted to be folded and secured in a compact package comprising facing front and rear flexible walls secured together along aligned sides and bottoms forming an open mouthed container,

said facing front and rear walls having a plurality of parallel creases with the creases in each wall aligned to divide said walls into a plurality of parallel elongated panels and with said walls adapted to be folded on said creases whereby all said panels may be aligned one behind the other,

a band,

means securing the opposite ends of said band to one wall with one end of said band secured to one of said creases and the other end secured to the pposite side of one panel in part defined by said one crease and with the intermediate portion of said band spaced from said one wall whereby said panels when aligned behind said one band may be folded transverse to the length of said creases and inserted in the space between said band and said one Wall.

2. A shopping bag adapted to be folded and secured in a compact package comprising,

facing front and rear flexible walls secured together along aligned sides and bottoms forming an open mouthed container,

said facing front and rear walls having a plurality of parallel creases extending from the top to the bottom of said bag with the creases in each wall aligned to divide each of said walls into an equal number of parallel elongated panels extending from the top to the bottom of said bag and with said walls adapted to be parallely folded along said creases whereby all said panels may be folded with one on top and the others parallely aligned beneath said one panel,

a band,

means securing said band across said one panel near one end thereof with the ends of said band secured at the side edges of said one panel and the intermediate portion spaced from said one panel whereby said panels may be folded and aligned beneath said one panel and thereafter transversely folded with respect to the length of said creases and inserted in said space between said band and said one wall.

3. A shopping bag adapted to be folded and secured in a compact package comprising,

facing front and rear flexible walls secured together along aligned sides and bottoms forming an open mouthed container,

said facing front and rear walls each having five parallel creases extending from the top to the bottom of said bag with the creases in each wall aligned to divide each of said walls into parallel elongated panels extending from the top to the bottom of said bag and with said walls adapted to be parallely folded along said creases to a width equal to one end panel with each of said other panels positioned beneath said end panel,

a band of flexible material,

means securing said band across said end panel at one end thereof with the ends of said band secured to said wall at opposite sides of said end panel and with the intermediate portion of said band spaced from said end panel, whereby said panels positioned one beneath the other may be transversely folded relative their length at least twice and the ends of said panels remote from said one end of said end panel inserted between said band and said end panel.

4. A shopping bag folded into a compact package comprising,

facing front and rear flexible walls secured together along aligned sides and bottoms forming an open mouthed container,

said facing front and rear walls each formed with five creases extending from the bottom of said bag to the top thereof with the creases in each Wall dividing each wall into six panels which extend from the top to the bottom of the bag, said walls parallely folded along said creases with a width equal to one panel with an end panel on top and the other beneath it, said parallely folded walls also transversely folded a plurality of times whereby the ends of said panels are folded over the center portions thereof,

and a band of flexible material,

means securing said band across said end panel at one end thereof with the ends of said band secured to opposite sides of said end panel and with the folded over portions of said panels remote from said one end of said end panel inserted between said end panel and said band.

5. A flexible foldable enclosing means formed as a self contained package comprising,

facing parallel flexible walls secured together along aligned sides and one end forming an open mouthed member,

said facing walls formed with a plurality of preformed parallel creases with the creases in one wall aligned with corresponding ones in the other to divide said walls into a plurality of panels,

said panels folded one over the other with said enclosing means having a width no greater than the width of one panel,

said folded over panels also transversely folded with the ends opposite of said panels folded over each other, and

a flexible band secured to one end panel with the ends of said bands secured to the sides of said one end panel and the intermediate portion extending over and securing the opposite ends of said panels.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said panels are of different widths with narrow panels intermediate wider panels.

7. A flexible foldable enclosing means formed as a self contained package comprising,

facing parallel flexible walls secured together along sides and one end forming an open mouth member, said facing walls formed with a plurality of fold lines dividing said walls into a plurality of panels,

said panels adapted to be folded one over the other whereby said enclosing means assumes an elongated shape having a width narrower than said enclosing means in an unfolded form,

said panels adapted to be transversely folded along lines normal to said fold lines With the opposite end portions of said panels adapted to be parallel to each other,

and a band secured to one of said flexible walls at its 5 ends only with the intermediate portion of said band extending over at least a portion of one of said panels References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Keiser June 5, 1928 

1. A SHOPPING BAG ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED AND SECURED IN A COMPACT PACKAGE COMPRISING FACING FRONT AND REAR FLEXIBLE WALLS SECURED TOGETHER ALONG ALINGED SIDES AND BOTTOMS FORMING AN OPEN MOUTHED CONTAINER, SAID FACING FRONT AND REAR WALLS HAVING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL CREASES WITH THE CREASES IN EACH WALL ALIGNED TO DIVIDE SAID WALLS INTO A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL ELONGATED PANELS AND WITH SAID WALLS ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED ON SAID CREASES WHEREBY ALL SAID PANELS MAY BE ALIGNED ONE BEHIND THE OTHER, A BAND, MEANS SECURING THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID BAND TO ONE WALL WITH ONE END OF SAID BAND SECURED TO ONE OF SAID CREASES AND THE OTHER END SECURED TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF ONE PANEL IN PART DEFINED BY SAID ONE CREASE AND WITH THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID BAND SPACED FROM SAID ONE WALL WHEREBY SAID PANELS WHEN ALIGNED BEHIND SAID ONE BAND MAY BE FOLDED TRANSVERSE TO THE LENGTH OF SAID CREASES AND INSERTED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BAND AND SAID ONE WALL. 